Gopalgarh clashes case: CBI opposes plea by accused to relax bail conditions

Jaipur: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday submitted its reply to the additional sessions judge here in a petiton filed by Anita Singh and Zahida Khan, two accused in the Gopalgarh case in which chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and MoS Home Jawahar Singh Bedam are also co-accused.
Singh and Khan had requested the court to remove the third condition of their bail order, which mandates all the accused to seek prior permission from the court before travelling abroad.The CBI, in its reply, argued that the bail conditions, including condition no. 3, were appropriately imposed by the court when interim bail was granted to the accused petitioners on Sept 4, 2013, and Oct 9, 2013.
The CBI stated, "There is every likelihood that if the bail condition no. 3 is relaxed, the accused petitioners may abscond and flee from justice and also affect the ongoing trial of the case."
The agency raised concerns that relaxing the bail conditions might obstruct the ongoing trial and increase the chances of the accused escaping from justice. The court will now consider the CBI's opposition to the petition filed by Singh and Khan before making a decision on modifying the bail conditions.
In Sept 2011, Gopalgarh town witnessed clashes that resulted in deaths of 10 people. CBI registered FIRs in the case on Oct 11, 2011. A chargesheet was filed on March 6, 2012, against 15 accused persons. A supplementary chargesheet was submitted on Sept 28, 2013, against 17 accused persons, including Anita Singh and Zahida Khan.